The present invention is directed to recording components, and more specifically, to never-tear opaque plastic recording sheets, that is, for example, opaque plastic recording sheets containing, for example, a plastic supporting substrate rather than a natural cellulose, with certain coatings thereover and thereunder, and the use of these recording sheets in ink jet printing processes, such as thermal ink jet processes, and xerographic imaging systems. Specifically, the present invention in embodiments is directed to opaque plastic recording sheets capable of, for example, accepting ink jet images on one side, preferably their front side, and xerographic images on the second, opposite, or reverse side of the substrate. More specifically, the present invention is directed to opaque plastic recording sheets wherein one side thereof, for example the front side, is coated with a first ink jet writeable composition capable of generating ink jet images of, for example, high optical density, such as between about 1.5 to about 2.0 for a black ink, between about 1.2 to about 1.6 for a cyan ink, between about 1.1 to about 1.4 for a magenta ink, and between about 1.0 to about 1.5 for a yellow ink, with lightfastness values of greater than about 95 percent, and more specifically, from about 95 to about 99.5 percent for all of the aforementioned inks, and related inks; waterfastness values greater than, or equal to about 90 percent, and more specifically, from about 90 to about 95 percent for all inks and low edge raggedness values of about 0.25 millimeter (between black and yellow), about 0.30 millimeter (between cyan and yellow), about 0.30 millimeter (between magenta and yellow), and about 0.45 millimeter (between magenta and cyan), and wherein the reverse side, opposite side, or back side of the substrate/sheet is coated with a second coating layer composition capable of accepting xerographic images of, for example, high optical density and with excellent lightfast values. The opaque plastic recording sheets can be prepared by coating an ink receiving layer on the front side of a plastic substrate and a xerographically compatible coating on the back side of the plastic substrate.
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to opaque plastic recording sheets comprised of (a) a substrate, such as polyvinylchloride, referred to as vinyl!, opaque MYLAR.RTM., transparent MYLAR.RTM., polypropylene, TESLIN.RTM. and the like; (1) a first ink receiving coating layer on the front side of the plastic substrate capable of absorbing the ink vehicle, and which coating is comprised of a water insoluble polymer, such as (acrylamidomethyl)cellulose acetate butyrate, acrylamidomethyl)cellulose acetate propionate, and the like, an ink spreading polymeric agent, such as a solvent swellable chlorodeoxycellulose, poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid), sodium salt, poly(acrylamide-co-diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride), starch-graft-(polyacrylic acid, sodium salt), and the like, an ink wetting agent such as pentaerythritol ethoxylate (3/4 EO/OH), pentaerythritol ethoxylate, (15/4 EO/OH) pentaerythritol propoxylate (5/4 PO/OH), pentaerythritol propoxylate (17/8 PO/OH), pentaerythritol propoxylate/ethoxylate, a cationic dye mordant such as quaternary compounds, polymethyl acrylate trimethyl ammonium chloride latex, 2-acryloyloxy ethyl (benzoyl benzyl) dimethylammonium bromide, o-xylylene-bis-(triphenyl) phosphonium bromide, heptyltriphenyl phosphonium bromide, dodecyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide, lightfastness UV absorbing compounds such as poly(4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidine ethanol/dimethyl succinic acid), poly(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy hydrocinnamic acid ester/1,3,5-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione, 1,2-hydro-4-(octyloxy) benzophenone, 2-(4-benzoyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy)ethyl acrylate and the like, lightfast antioxidant compounds such as didodecyl-3,3'-thiodipropionate, ditridecyl-3,3'-thiodipropionate, ditetra decyl-3,3'-thiodipropionate, dicetyl-3,3'-thiodipropionate, and lightfast antiozonant compounds such as N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-phenylenediamine, N,N'-di(2-otyl)-.rho.-phenylene diamine, N,N'-bis(1,4-dimethyl pentyl)-.rho.-phenylene diamine, and mixtures thereof, an optional biocide such as 2-hydroxypropylmethane thiosulfonate, a filler such as clay, calcium carbonate, colloidal silica; and (2) a second coating in contact with the back side of the plastic substrate capable of, for example, receiving xerographic images, and which second coating is comprised of (1) a water insoluble, solvent soluble, polymer such as polyacenaphthylene, poly(vinylphenylketone), poly(vinylphenylketone) hydrogenated, poly(vinyl acetate-co-butyl maleate-co-isobornyl acrylate), and the like, or mixtures thereof, a toner spreading agent such as tetraethylethylene tetracarboxylate, triethyl-1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate, pentaerythritol tetrabenzoate, pentaerythritol-tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy hydro cinnamate), and the like, an antistatic agent such as quaternary compounds of tetraoctyl phosphonium bromide, o-xylylene-bis-(triphenyl)phosphonium bromide), heptyltriphenyl phosphonium bromide), dodecyltriphenyl phosphonium bromide), an optional biocide such as 2-hydroxy propylmethane thiosulfonate, and a filler such as clay, calcium carbonate, silica, zirconium oxide, microspheres, and the like.